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Crows Zero II

Synopsis

Genji and his victorious G.P.S. alliance find themselves facing down a new challenge by the students of Hosen Academy, feared by everyone as 'The Army of Killers.' The two schools, in fact, have a history of bad blood between them. And the simmering embers of hatred are about to flare up again, burning away any last remnants of the truce they had so rigorously observed until now.

So let it be said: Crows Zero II is to the franchise what The Dark Knight is to Batman Begins. It has enough of what a sequel needs in order not to suck. In fact, it's everything a sequel should be. It expands the already established storyline, features new characters that include worthy successors to the previous antagonists and provides further development among the original ensemble (all actors reprising their roles). Crows Zero II literally feels like the second half of an urban epic, and it certainly ups the ante it already established in the first. This is a continuation that treads the exact same territory without rehashing itself in the slightest.

I love these sorts of films. A real mash up of films like 'The Wanderers', 'The Warriors', 'Young and Dangerous', 'Volcano High' and the likes. The fight scenes, although not being the most amazingly choreographed, really pack a punch, as do a fair amount of the actual punches and kicks. There are certainly a few landings onto pieces of scenery that look like they hurt. Miike knows what he's doing with this sort of stuff. It's fantastic to look at, and really captures the essence of what he was trying to accomplish. Really well paced throughout. They are never any real lulls in the action, but the story doesn't feel neglected through this at all. I would love to see…

So let it be said: Crows Zero II is to the franchise what The Dark Knight is to Batman Begins. It has enough of what a sequel needs in order not to suck. In fact, it's everything a sequel should be. It expands the already established storyline, features new characters that include worthy successors to the previous antagonists and provides further development among the original ensemble (all actors reprising their roles). Crows Zero II literally feels like the second half of an urban epic, and it certainly ups the ante it already established in the first. This is a continuation that treads the exact same territory without rehashing itself in the slightest.

So in this sequel, it's a year or so later, Genji and Tamao have formed an alliance to take on a rival school. The beautiful part about this sequel is that both the cast and director return. (Because there are a lot of sequels where there are casting/director changes, and it's just not the same.)

It's not quite as funny as the first one, but if you enjoyed the first Crows Zero movie, you'll like this sequel.

I love these sorts of films. A real mash up of films like 'The Wanderers', 'The Warriors', 'Young and Dangerous', 'Volcano High' and the likes. The fight scenes, although not being the most amazingly choreographed, really pack a punch, as do a fair amount of the actual punches and kicks. There are certainly a few landings onto pieces of scenery that look like they hurt. Miike knows what he's doing with this sort of stuff. It's fantastic to look at, and really captures the essence of what he was trying to accomplish. Really well paced throughout. They are never any real lulls in the action, but the story doesn't feel neglected through this at all. I would love to see…